The streak is over: Harbaugh finally beats Wannstedt

Lost amid the yakking over all that yardage Sunday was this storyline: At long last, Jim Harbaugh finally beat Dave Wannstedt!

As noted in this story I wrote over the weekend on the not-always-warm-and-cuddly relationship between Harbaugh and his former coach with the Bears, Harbaugh had never beaten a team with Wannstedt on its staff as a player.

But he sure beat Wannstedt, now the Bills defensive coordinator, Sunday.

In fact, after the 49ers rolled up a franchise-record 621 yards in a 45-3 win, Wannstedt’s unit had been saddled with this unfortunate tag: the first team since the 1950 New York Yanks to allow at least 550 yards in consecutive games.

Last week, Harbaugh said time had dissolved any hard feelings he once had toward his former coach. But I’m sure the hyper-competitive Harbaugh was aware of the lopsided scoreboard in his past meetings with Wannstedt’s teams and was happy to emphatically end the streak Sunday.

Here’s a look at the previous Harbaugh vs. Wanndtedt meetings:

Dec. 20, 1998

Bears 24, Ravens 3

Harbaugh’s title: Baltimore starting quarterback

Wannstedt’s title: Bears head coach

Note: Harbaugh completed 20 of 34 passes for 185 yards with one interception.

Dec. 19, 1999

Dolphins 12, Chargers 9

Harbaugh’s title: San Diego starting quarterback

Wannstedt’s title: Miami defensive coordinator

Note: Harbaugh completed 20 of 40 passes for 178 yards.

Nov. 12, 2000

Dolphins 17, Chargers 7

Harbaugh’s title: San Diego backup quarterback

Wannstedt’s title: Miami head coach

Note: Harbaugh came off the bench and completed 2 of 5 passes for 19 yards with an interception. Harbaugh never threw another pass in the NFL after this game.

Dec. 15, 2002

Dolphins 23, Raiders 17

Harbaugh’s title: Oakland offensive assistant

Wannstedt’s title: Miami head coach

Note: Yes, Harbaugh even lost to Wannstedt in his first season as an NFL coach.